Those who are afflicted with diabetes are apparently more at risk of suffering dementia than others. A study confirmed the link between the conditions that researchers had long thought to be true.

ABC News reports a long-term study published in the journal Neurology found that 27 percent of patients with diabetes went on to suffer dementia, compared to 21 percent of those without diabetes. The data tracked more than 1,000 patients over an average period of 11 years.

Interpreting the findings, a Mayo Clinic doctor said the study gives diabetes patients yet another reason to treat the disease aggressively. Rising numbers of diabetics could lead to massive amounts of dementia suffers in the future. According to the American Diabetes Association, there are 25.8 million diabetics in the United States, as well as 79 million prediabetics.

Diabetes Puts People at Risk for Dementia, Study Finds [ABC News]

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